AP: Coast Guard OKs wind down of BP spill cleanup

By Associated Press

Published: November 8, 2011, 9:10 AM

NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- The Coast Guard has approved a plan to end cleanup along the Gulf Coast from the BP oil spill, a move officials said opens a new phase of work for BP -- restoring areas damaged by the largest offshore spill in U.S. history.

According to the document obtained by The Associated Press on Tuesday, the plan "provides the mechanisms for ceasing active clean-up operations."

In it, the Coast Guard spells out protocol for ending the cleanup. It has been going on since April 20, 2010, when the Deepwater Horizon exploded off the Louisiana coast.